29 replies to this topic

[odomike]

I decided to make a lota upgrade in my desktop. which will comprise changing everything practically. Below is the configuration I came up with for the PC:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - OEM
Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - OEM
RAM: WINTEC 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Memory (x2) making it 4GB total.
Hard Disks: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD403LJ 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM) x2 (800GB) total
VGA: SAPPHIRE 100195L Radeon X1650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported) [b]x2[b] 'cos I wanna use it on ATI crossfire.
CD/DVD: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model (x2)
Monitor: Niko NIKO-2017MAAW Black 20" 16ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
Case+PSU: RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

I wanna know what you feel about this my config. Another thing is, the mobo is using an nVIDIA nFORCE 680i SLI. Which means that it is definitely supporting the NVIDIA SLI tech. Would it also suport ATI CrossFire as it is using an nVIDIA Northbridge and southbridge chipsets. I hope it aint gonna be giving me any problems with the ATI graphics cards.

You opinions are highly needed here.

Edited by odomike, 06 September 2007 - 05:00 PM.

[delivi]

Wow ! this is a superb PC configuration. You've got a configuration for me to envy .

this configuration is excellent for playing games with full graphics settings and also enjoy a great multimedia experience.

We both only have the DVD Writer in common everything else is superior than mine

enjoy a lot:)

[odomike]

Oh well, I wanted this to be a one time configuration and I am just gonna forget about any personal desktop and focus on getting a better laptop for myself.

I wanted a computer that will play all the games you CAN EVER THINK OF while not using a very high tech video card. 1GB of video ram aint no joke and I am gonna stick to it.

ATM, I am using a HP Compaq nx6310 with an Intel CoreDuo T2400 with 1GB or DDR2 667 and a DVD-RAM Drive. Thinking of going up to the T7000 series in my next laptop upgrade.

Thanks for the compliment delivi.

[Saint_Michael]

Nice set up, but I could see a potential problem and thats your power supply; 500 seems not enough I would bump it up to about 600 watts since you have 2 hard drive, 4 gigs of RAM, and everything else. Now is the VGA built in or is it a card? If its a card then I would look into adding a bit more juice to it for safe keeping, and I just answered my own question so if possible bump up the power supply to 600 watts.

As for hte video card you might have some capability issues since the mobo supports SLI and your VGA is ATI, but of course I am right now helping you out on yahoo so my post ends here.

[dre]

Buy the 256 mb version of the video card. A radeon 1650 with 512 mb is TOTAL OVERKILL. If that card were to just use 256 mb of ram, then you would probably have unspeakable lag...If you were to try 512 mb, you will be enjoying 1-2 frames per second (fast, I know). And do not buy another one of these cards and use them in Crossfire. Seriously, save yourself the money. You're much better off just buying a single nVIDIA 7900 GS video card (Newegg product here:) that'll cost $119.99. In many cases, the single 7900 GS video card approaches the speed of a Crossfire X1650 XT dual-video card setup (it's about 6 fps away, gets closer as quality and resolution increase, benchmarks from TechReport benchmark page, a very reliable source). So you have one video card beating two video cards, which are even slightly faster than your model...I think the answer here is simple. Please save yourself money and gain yourself speed, buy the nVIDIA 7900 GS, you wont be disappointed.

Edited by dre, 07 September 2007 - 12:29 AM.

[Watermonkey]

Saint_Michael, on Sep 6 2007, 12:17 PM, said:

Nice set up, but I could see a potential problem and thats your power supply; 500 seems not enough I would bump it up to about 600 watts since you have 2 hard drive, 4 gigs of RAM, and everything else. Now is the VGA built in or is it a card? If its a card then I would look into adding a bit more juice to it for safe keeping, and I just answered my own question so if possible bump up the power supply to 600 watts.

That's the first thing I was thinking too. I'd even consider going higher yet, to 700W if it's not formidably expensive. I've no idea what the price difference would be but I'm guessing, not much. Also, buy a battery backup (UPS) from Costco to protect your investment in case of a power problem.

[csp4.0]

the computer I'm building has similar specs, but from what i've learned that power supply isn't even near what you need, I recommend this power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817153034
the wattage may seem small but can support 2x 8800GTSs' and has got good reviews.
Now about using a ATI card on a nVidia chipset is not a good idea, it might work but there could be serious concequences.
Worst case scenario: you turn on your computer and the graphics card and mobo burn out, but if the have the time to know then i recommend asking a professional near you (and please PM me the results since all the nVidia GPUs are so expensive, but the only mobo i could find that suited my needs was an ASUS nForce 680i SLI MOBO).
Good luck on building that PC of yours.
PS if I were you I'd just go for a case with no PSU

[benzkids]

cool it looks like a pretty cool setup. hoe much it cost? what operating system will you be running on it? what are you going to do a sweet set-up? games? well what ever you do with it, it will be fast. lol hope you have fun with you computer.

[Saint_Michael]

Well with talking to odo online, better make sure to get a hold of him later. we were looking at ATI motherboards and the ones that I found were pretty crappy, and thanks dre for the big reminder as I can't believe I forgot about just switching out the Crossfire with the Nvidia gfx card.

[odomike]

Quote

Well with talking to odo online, better make sure to get a hold of him later. we were looking at ATI motherboards and the ones that I found were pretty crappy, and thanks dre for the big reminder as I can't believe I forgot about just switching out the Crossfire with the Nvidia gfx card.

Sorry Saint. I got disconnected and the connection never came back till the next morning. I was later able to find an ASUS motherboard that supports Crossfire with an Intel P35 Northbridge and Intel ICH9R Southbridge. Supports DDR2 1066MHz and DDR3 1333MHz and running on FSB 1333. It is an ASUS P5K-V LGA 775 Intel G33 ATX Intel Motherboard. I am still deciding which one to take between these two: Open Box: ASUS P5K-V LGA 775 Intel G33 ATX Intel Motherboard - OEM and Open Box: ASUS P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - OEM. As you guys can see, one is using a G33 intel chipset while the other uses a P35. I am thinking the P35 would be better though.

Apart from that, talking abou tthe NVIDIA GFX card and the ATI x1650PRO card, what exactly are the differences here? I have tried to make some comparisms with my old GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (128MB DDR) and I found out that this card n GPU is a much better option than what I previously had. It supports a lota nice features (judging from what I read at the sapphire website). You can go there and have a look for yourself.

Yea, I am really considering going for a case without a PSU and then buy the PSU separately. I know its gonna be more expensive than buying one with an inbuilt PSU but it would most likely come with a higher quality PSU. here is the link to the PSU I selected for the configuration APEVIA ATX-AS600W-BL 600W Power Supply - Retail.

And oh before I forget, I decided to add an additional 400GB SATA II HDD to the previous 2x 400GB SATA II HDDs. Making it total of 1.2TB (1200GB) of Hard Drive memory. Wel, I dont wanna trouble myself about space in my PC at any time at all no matter what I have to pack in there.

left to me, I dont think my configuration is bad, but i am still very open to advice from you guys.

Still waiting for more of your opinions.

Edited by odomike, 07 September 2007 - 03:02 PM.

[faund]

LITE-ON DVD Burner give me very good impression, it's really a good DVD burner to write some poor quality DVD+-R disk that can't be written by other burner.

Can you image what Configuration I have.

Intel Celeron 1.1GHz
512M SDRam
40G HDD
CDROM
17" CRT

[rayzoredge]

odomike, on Sep 6 2007, 11:18 AM, said:

I decided to make a lota upgrade in my desktop. which will comprise changing everything practically. Below is the configuration I came up with for the PC:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - OEM
Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - OEM
RAM: WINTEC 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Memory (x2) making it 4GB total.
Hard Disks: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD403LJ 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM) x2 (800GB) total
VGA: SAPPHIRE 100195L Radeon X1650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported) [b]x2[b] 'cos I wanna use it on ATI crossfire.
CD/DVD: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model (x2)
Monitor: Niko NIKO-2017MAAW Black 20" 16ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
Case+PSU: RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

I wanna know what you feel about this my config. Another thing is, the mobo is using an nVIDIA nFORCE 680i SLI. Which means that it is definitely supporting the NVIDIA SLI tech. Would it also suport ATI CrossFire as it is using an nVIDIA Northbridge and southbridge chipsets. I hope it aint gonna be giving me any problems with the ATI graphics cards.

You opinions are highly needed here.

How much is this entire setup going to cost you?

You're probably going for the best bang for the buck, but I would suggest that since this machine is already rather superpowered with everything you're putting into it, you might as well throw in a good sound card (SoundBlaster Fatality?), speakers (Creative/Logitech?), and a larger monitor/LCD to boot. The monitor could also use a faster response time to prevent any glitches you may see in fast-paced gaming.

I haven't looked at any of the products specifically, but from what it looks like, you will be having a spectacular machine.

Can anyone answer that question regarding ATI video cards on a mobo with an NVIDIA chipset? Because I had that question before but never got an answer.

The quad-core (and total VRAM) seems like a little bit of overkill... I'd understand if you want to future-proof this as much as possible, but I'm sure you could actually do with just dual-core or even a single, just because most games out there don't even utilize the potential of having more than one processor. Then again, it would make sense to future-proof...

To pick out the best video cards to dual, I suggest that you look at specifications and designs aside from the amount of VRAM that it will have onboard (GPU specs: pipelines, shaders, and all that good stuff that I'm still a newbie at). It also looks like the cards you've chosen don't support DX10. If you're going to future-proof with quad-core, you might as well throw in some more for DX10-compatible cards. I'm sure you've see the world of difference that DX10 has to offer compared to DX9.0c.

I don't know your computer background but you do seem like you know what you're talking about, so I'll leave you with that.

[fffanatics]

Good configuration but you will want a Nvidia graphics card instead of ATI. Since your motherboard supports the newest 680i chipset, you will see a huge increase in performance of two cards in SLi. Plus, Nvidia has started to blow ATI out of the water with the performance of their cards. I am a graphical programmer (write gaming graphics, research rendering techniques, etc.) i have plenty of experience with both and have talked to people in both companies and really look at the properties of the cards. Nvidia is way better at any sort of vertex and pixel operations because of their layout, chipsets, chip speeds, and most importantly the number of pipelines they allow a programmer to access. Plus, nvidia has certain tools and protocols that only work with their cards that really increase performance of many operations that developers use all the time.

[odomike]

You got a very good point there rayzoredge. I am definitely gonna add a very good sound card in the qeue. And also the speakers too.

I am making some changes to the whole configurations. I am changing the 1650XT GPU to an ATI RADEON™ HD 2600XT GPU this time and I also gonna retain the same video memory (1GB). I know that this would sound very outrageous to anyone that hears it but thats the way I want it so wont have to bother myself about graphics processing power anytime.

And yea, I am still waiting for my question to be answered about the nVIDIA mobo and ATI GPUs and crossfire.

Quote

Good configuration but you will want a Nvidia graphics card instead of ATI. Since your motherboard supports the newest 680i chipset, you will see a huge increase in performance of two cards in SLi. Plus, Nvidia has started to blow ATI out of the water with the performance of their cards. I am a graphical programmer (write gaming graphics, research rendering techniques, etc.) i have plenty of experience with both and have talked to people in both companies and really look at the properties of the cards. Nvidia is way better at any sort of vertex and pixel operations because of their layout, chipsets, chip speeds, and most importantly the number of pipelines they allow a programmer to access. Plus, nvidia has certain tools and protocols that only work with their cards that really increase performance of many operations that developers use all the time

Well, I aint going for the 680i SLI mobo again 'cos I wanna make a change this time and use ATI. I've been an nVIDIA fan for more than 5 years now. I am actually comparing some mobos from ASUS and Gigabyte and I think I am most likely gonna go for the Gigabyte after the whole comparisms.

I have used a number of Gigabyte mobos and one feature I love about these mobos is the fact that your CPU really stays cool even after O'Cing. That is one thing that is good about them using the Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker.

Edited by odomike, 07 September 2007 - 05:22 PM.

[rayzoredge]

You might also want to consider what fffanatics said about NVIDIA possibly (or factually, I can't say for myself) again.

Realistically-speaking, I'm not sure if you would notice a difference or not unless you benchmark the two brands against each other. (Who really sees a difference between 160 fps as opposed to 180? Or those minute differences on how vectors are drawn and pixels handled? And even if you could... would it matter that much to warrant the change?) You COULD go back to your mobo with NVIDIA chipset and throw in a SLI configuration instead of a Crossfire one, but I suppose you could give ATI a try.

It IS an expensive trial though...

Good to see that the 2600XT is a nice choice... DX10 support AND PCIe.

I can't recommend from experience what sound cards or speakers (or anything else, really) you should buy, since I'm still running and will remain running my HP Pavilion zd8000, which is great for most things that I want to do anyway. But I'm buying the hype from Creative with their XFi line. There are also a handful of non-Creative sound cards that I hear from time to time that may be worth looking at. Speakers are the same... I trust Creative, Logitech, and now Altec Lansing. Then again, unless you were an audiophile, you may not even notice the difference between sound cards (unless you were comparing a SoundBlaster Live! to its Audigy 2 counterpart, or something like that).

Edited by rayzoredge, 07 September 2007 - 05:32 PM.

[odomike]

Quote

Realistically-speaking, I'm not sure if you would notice a difference or not unless you benchmark the two brands against each other. (Who really sees a difference between 160 fps as opposed to 180? Or those minute differences on how vectors are drawn and pixels handled? And even if you could... would it matter that much to warrant the change?) You COULD go back to your mobo with NVIDIA chipset and throw in a SLI configuration instead of a Crossfire one, but I suppose you could give ATI a try.

It IS an expensive trial though...

Good to see that the 2600XT is a nice choice... DX10 support AND PCIe.

Now come to think of it. I read a review of someone who bought an MSI RX2600XT Diamond Plus Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR4 PCI Express x16 OC Edition HDMI HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card at NewEgg. Below is what he has to say about this ATI GPU powered card and an nVIDIA 7800GS/GT

Quote

Well its DX10, its ATI, its a Good Card, looks beautifully designed. I can run Lost Planet on 1280x1024 on all high at 30+ FPS, but my 7800gt struggled on 1024x768 on medium.

Now this is a plus for this graphics card and I am not looking back on that. You can read the review here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102102

I think you guys should have a peep at this card's specs before crucifying it. Has GPU core running at an amazing 850MHz and Memory clock at a sky-rocketting 2.3GHz. If you get an nVIDIA card at that spec with DX10, I bet you aint gonna get that for $200.

Judging from this, I decided to compare the two GPUs and there prices. I found out that the 7800GS supports DX9.0c while the 2600XT supports DX10. Apart from that, the 7800 happened to be on the higher side for the price and that is one thing I am trying to be conscious about despite going for the maximum possible performance.

So, why cant I get better gaming and graphics rendering performance for lower cash? I bet everyone would wana do same too.

Edited by odomike, 07 September 2007 - 06:04 PM.

[rayzoredge]

Got it. As I've said, consider your options. But of course, you were one step ahead of me. Good to know.

That is actually quite a deal if you can get better performance out of the 2600XT as opposed to the 7800GT. I didn't actually look at any benchmark info, but like I said before, I don't think you'll be able to see a difference when it comes to similar cards of different brands.

Looking at comparisons now... but I think you'll be correct to say that you'll be paying more for an NVIDIA equivalent than for the ATI that you have now.

Just off of NewEgg...

There really couldn't be any comparison for an NVIDIA equivalent as the card you provided uses GDDR4-type VRAM, and there are no NVIDIA cards that match most other specifications of that card that use GDDR4. (I settled for GDDR3 in this case, although I'm not sure if there is that much of a difference.) All those cards are similar to your ATI card with the exception of GDDR4-type memory.

Of course, their prices fluctuate between $100-$210.

Notice from jlhaslip:

Merged Topic

[odomike]

This is not just a benchmark by some software that provides you with a synthetic benchmark result, but a real life gaming experience by someone who has used this card and noticed the goodness of the GPU. You know, I am not even buying ony one of the HD2600XT card. I am buying two of 'em cards so that I can use then on Crossfire mode.

Now, imagine what it would look like to use two HD2600XT (512MB of GDDR4) with DX10. Your gaming is gonna be real kooooolll.

I can only wonder at what the graphics will look like in there combining it with the Q6600 Quad Core which I will be O'Cing to 3.4GHz or more considering the fact that I am gonna be using a case which has been refered to as an EXTREEM GAMING CASE 'cos its got a lota cooling.

Well, thats gonna be a real computing experience.

And BTW, I have added a Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE Sound Card and Creative Inspire P7800 90 Watts 7.1 Speaker - Retail to the list to make everything complete.

Edited by odomike, 07 September 2007 - 06:49 PM.

[rayzoredge]

I almost feel excited for you.

How sad.

Looks like you've got it down, man. How much is this beast going to run you now?

[Saint_Michael]

Man some serious posting been going on about this topic, however, I disagree with the huge monitors go dual monitors since you got a powerful set up to handle two monitors. Also Odo I bought my case and power supply separately and the prices were still cheap. Then referring to what Watermonkey said 700 would be necessary for what your trying to do now with this set up.

As for a chip set question is has to do with compatibility issues, meaning that the chip set is design in such a way that you could put any type of gfx card made by that same chip set company and not have any problems. One more thing don't get a open box Motherboard because that means it has been used and repair and put back on the market again, I would get it brand spanking new so not to have any possible problems in the future with the system.

[csp4.0]

I just found it
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/09/07/hp...re_on_nforce_/1
here is proof that some crazy guy from a commercial company (HP-Voodoo) has made a computer that has a 680i Chipset and just put a couple'la ATI cards in there, there is proof. But I would still stay on the safe side and just buy a 8600GTS is you're on a budget or go all out and buy a 8800Ultra like what I'm doing (they are actually quite cheap, can get them for US$570 from newegg.

[odomike]

Quote

Man some serious posting been going on about this topic, however, I disagree with the huge monitors go dual monitors since you got a powerful set up to handle two monitors. Also Odo I bought my case and power supply separately and the prices were still cheap. Then referring to what Watermonkey said 700 would be necessary for what your trying to do now with this set up.

As for a chip set question is has to do with compatibility issues, meaning that the chip set is design in such a way that you could put any type of gfx card made by that same chip set company and not have any problems. One more thing don't get a open box Motherboard because that means it has been used and repair and put back on the market again, I would get it brand spanking new so not to have any possible problems in the future with the system.

You've got a very good point there Saint. Never thought about the dual monitors. But since you've mentioned it, I am gonna put that into consideration this time. Actually, I have decided to buy the case and the PSU separately. I prefered an Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail and going for a 680W PSU (APEVIA ATX-AS680W-BL 680W Power Supply - Retail) which I believe is gonna power the computer very well. BTW 680W is just 20W short of 700W and thats fine enough.

I am not going for the 680i SLI motherboard again. I never wanted to face any risk after installing this PC. I have shifted to a P35 Motherboard this time and the mobo was certified by ASUS to be working with Crossfire. Don't think it works with SLI cos they didnt specify that.

I am buying a retail mobo. Changed from the open box verrsion to the retail version. Thanks for that advice Saint. But I am still using the same mobo. Only changing from OEM to retail. Everything I am buying in there are all Brand New from Box.

Quote

I just found it http://www.bit-tech....re_on_nforce_/1 here is proof that some crazy guy from a commercial company (HP-Voodoo) has made a computer that has a 680i Chipset and just put a couple'la ATI cards in there, there is proof. But I would still stay on the safe side and just buy a 8600GTS is you're on a budget or go all out and buy a 8800Ultra like what I'm doing (they are actually quite cheap, can get them for US$570 from newegg.

No no no!!! I aint going for any expensive risks in here concerning this computer. You dont spend your money on risks...do you? BTW, will a single 8600GTS outperform a HD 2600XT on CrossFire? I have had a look at the specifications and all what they support and tahts why I finally landed myself with the HD 2600XT from MSI.

I believe that this aint no bad configuration. Because of your advices, I have shifted form the X1650PRO which supports DX9.0c to the higher HD 2600XT which I belive will serve my purpose.

And I have also added a FM/TV tuner to the configuration too. It is a SAPPHIRE 100204L Radeon Theatrix 650 PRO (lite retail) - Retail. I guess I might add the dual monitors which Saint suggested. But then, I am not going down on the size. Instead, I am gonna make it a dual 20" Wide Screen LCD. I bet that would be real cool.


And refering to the question about the final price for this computer, everything in there is costing me a huge sum of $1,805. Which, if converted to my currency (Nigerian Naira) is amounting to N234,650. Now, this aint no small amount of money, but I wanna make this a one time buy and then stop bothering myself about buying a personal desktop for myself.

OMG! I have forgotten about the Dual monitor stuff. If I hve to add the 2nd monitor, everything will land at $1945 which is equal to N252,850.

WOOHOOO!!!

Edited by odomike, 08 September 2007 - 02:14 PM.

[Saint_Michael]

With the case interesting that they put the power supply at the bottom, just make sure your power supply doesn't have any vents underneath or you might have to prop up that power supply so to get 100% proper ventilation. However, I don't see much of a problem with ventilation but double check anyways when you do receive the parts. As for the power supply I would say that a good start but to be safe set everything up but with exceptions; plug in one hard drive, 1 monitor, gfx card, no tuner card. Basically what I am trying to say is install everything for a basic set up just to see how well your computer is doing and then one component at a time connect them to the power supply and then turn it on to check for problems.

[syncn21]

I guess your configuration is pretty well, but the only defect i find is that 500 power supply is quite Low for this high end configuration

[tdktank59]

Alright i don't know where you sit in all of this but i kinda skimmed over all of it...

First off... This computer will be for gaming?
Second... Whats your Budget?

Im also going to just state it like this

Intel is leading right now i dont know how the new Barcelona will match up to it due to the fact that there are no benchmarks yet

Also if you plan on arguing a point (well you can since it will be your money) i suggest you do some research and not just look some some numbers and say heh i want that one... even tho you dont know wtf your talking about...

Trust me when i say this do your homework and you wont be sorry...

I spent somewhere around 3 months researching what i wanted in a new computer before i bought it in April of 2007.
I have no regrets about my computer at ALL none because i did my homework and found the best parts for the money at the time. And since your ordering from an online source most likely you have a wealth of parts to choose from all being diffrent in every little way even tho some might look the same...

Some sites to learn more about stuff would be
www.anandtech.com
http://hardforum.com/



As for the computer you have selected i have some suggestions you may or may not take into heart...

CPU: Back when i built mine the quads were still in the upper $800+ range so i was like no thats pretty much my budget...
But now that the quads are litteraly $50 more than the 6700 why not go for 4 cores? I wont argue this point becasue of the price diffrence but back then it would have gone like this

There are no programs out for the general public (your casual gamers and such) that will and can utilitize all 4 cores so go for a E6600 is what i would say since they were already planing on going for a $800 cpu...

And now that we really dont know where AMD will be with there new release and where Intel will be with there new release both happening withing the current year... Its really hard to choose... AMD will have a NATIVE quad core for sure while intel is still rolling out the non native quads (2 dual cores on 1 chicp instead of 1 quad) So in respect to that the AMD will be faster compared to intel.. But then you also need to look at power consumption where intel is just totaly wooping amd at...

Intel has the better price for speed/temp/power for the buck while amd is traling behind somwhere in the distance...

So chooseing a CPU at this time is a hard choice you need to choose the path you want and stick to it...

MOBO: Pretty much get a nice chipset 4 240pin ddr2 slots dual channeled and enough slots to fit your needs... You dont need to get a super high end board when a lower middle of the water board can handel everything you need...
So here the question
Do you plan to overclock? How many GPU's do you want to have? Do you have any extra pci, pci-e x1 cards to put into the machine?

RAM: Id have to say this is the most important part next to the graphics card in a system... at least for a gaming rig...
I would recomend that what ever you do dont go under 2gbs in todays day and age even if its just for browsing a web at some times... especialy with Widnows VISTA (i hate vista so i wont talk muich about it) which is a memory hog in its self... so 2 gbs will save you but if the game you want requires 1.5gbs and it was for xp plan on at least 2gb for vista...

Gets some cheap fast ram no need to spend 140 bucks on a gig of ram you can get some really nice packages of 2gbs for about 80 bucsk now!

GPX: In my opinion the most important part of the whole machine i build my machine around this and the rest jsut falls into place... I wont state waht i bought in here ill save that for later on... but in frank the gpu is where your center of attention must rest if you plan to game or do anything graphical above just browsing the internet...

From what I understand since i kinda gave up reading about things after i bought my machine (atis cards came out right after i bought my computer i decided to skim over some of them) For the most part unless you went to the TOP of ati's lineup and spent about $600 bucks on the card And the top of the line ati card just barely beats the top of the line nvidia card

however atis cards are higher hd quality than nvidias are so theres your trade off... I personally like nvidia more than ati and i also know more about them but from what i was getting the ati cards are not that hard to beat even in crossfire...

OS: Win XP hands down i don't like to talk about windows (GAY) Vista since its a memory hog and is made for IDIOTS who don't know how to work a computer... unless you want to talk Linux id stick with Windows XP at least home id go pro for the extra 50 bucks or w/e it is...

PSU: Make sure you get a reliable and have enough power in your power supply DO NOT get one that comes with a case unless it happens to be a high end one which i highly doubt... but you never know... so lol

Make sure it has good rails and high efficiency

heres a nice website too lookup how good a psu is http://www.jonnyguru.com/

CASE: Depending on how much room you have where the computers going id get a big case they can allow for more room later on and especially with all these HUGE graphics cards you need the big cases. Make sure it has 120 mm fans and not 80 or 90mm fans they spin faster and are alot louder than the 120's


Other than that its extras to add to the system... and i dont care or know much about them since its pretty much up to the user...





Now onto what i have just so you can see how this can comapre to other things...

CPU: E6320 1.86 ghz oced it to 3.0 ghz can go higher but havnt done it... (i waited for the 20's becasue i wanted the 4mb l2 cache which means more time between the cpu having to talk to another source to get stuff)
MOBO: Gigabit DS3 (Highly oc board for pc enthusiests at a low price only downside is 1 pci-e x16 slot so only 1 gpu)
RAM: 2gb (2x 1gb) DDR2 800 G.SKILL hk ram
GPU: 8800 GTS 640mb
PSU: XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W
the rest should not matter to you...

in the end my system cost me $1,100 US (i rounded it a bit so it would be some nice numbers...) I do not regret anything i put into my system as of yet but you know what i shouldnt ever. I bought what was the best bang for the buck at the time i bought it... i also had to make sacrifices because i wanted a higher end graphics card to place games with which is why i had to upgrade for my old computer thats now our houses server... I also made sure id have room to upgrade later on without having to replace everything...

Suchj as the CPU i looked at where Intel was going and since the product was FAR supirior to anything that amd had out at the time i went with them instead of AMD... I also went for a 4mb l2 cache instead of the 2mb and i got a mother board that was easy to overclock with so i woudlnt have to replace my parts as soon instead i could oc and maybe get another 6months to a year out of the machine... And since i wasnt planing on having 2 gpus i was able to get a cheaper power supply that could support 1 gpu no problem...





So now to help you with your computer since you probably want to know some stuff here...
Since you plan on running 2 gpus get a nice pus i sujest a corsairs 620watt its a very powerfully and stable psu and can run sli, crossfire with ease.

for the graphics card i would recomend getting a 8800 GTX and possible adding a second one down the road unless you are doing some super graphics intensive things... right away... I have the GTS 640 and im running eveything on highest settings and still getting high fps there is really know need for 2 at the moment unless of course you truly need it its more or less jsut saying hey ive got 2 of these cards in sli... or course if your running 2 monitors at high resolutions you might want 2 but thats up to you...

Onto the mobo it all depends on how many gpus you want... all game manufactures are going to make the games for the lower end 8600 graphics cards if not even lower... but the games can scale up for the higher end cards with the settings and such... so keep this in mind

Id look at getting a board with 2 pci-3 x16 slots so you can add that second one if u want to I recomend a EVGA board (any of them) or some of the high end ASUS boards or even Intel

for ram at least 2 gigs MIN!!!!!

hard drive i dont know how much porn (you might not but i was using it as a joke so dont take it litteraly) you like to download but id get at least a 250 gig or maybe get a 500 gig
if you have the money id get a raptor and a 500 gig run the os and any games off the raptor and use the 500 for file storage

for a case get a nice big on antec 900 works i have a xion stacker its a huge case and the new cards fit nicely

If you need any other help feel free to ask here or via pm im more than happy to share my knowledge...



O btw for a monitor do not get a 16ms response time.. get a 5ms or a 2ms somewhere around there... the cost about the same...